M4 Knick: Changing the Status Quo of Process Analytics
Across the industry, inline pH measurements experience
the same historical problems.
·
Regularly
scheduled calibrations due to drift
·
Calibrating
sensors in less than ideal conditions — harsh weather, extreme temperatures, or
at the worst possible time
·
Sensor
replacement is inconvenient and time consuming
·
Unable
to tell if the sensor is still good, so it is thrown away
These
issues waste time, cost money, and compromise safety. M4 Knick offers the best
alternative to antiquated analog sensors and other not-so-smart digital
sensors. Memosens is a truly smart digital sensor technology for pH, ORP,
conductivity, and oxygen sensors. With Memosens technology, historical problems
are just that – a thing of the past.
Elimination of drift caused by cable and grounding
Analog
sensors use coaxial cable for sending a voltage signal to the transmitter.
Coaxial cable can introduce drift through signal leakage, ground loops, and
noise. They are also highly susceptible to physical, water, and heat damage.
In contrast, M4 Knick Memosens pH, ORP, conductivity, and oxygen sensors use a standard
4-conductor cable to send a digital signal to the transmitter. These cables can
be cut, spliced, and extended for long distances. Drift cannot be caused by the
cable. This results in fewer, less frequent calibrations of Memosens sensors.
Submersible, contact-free
inductive connection
Other
analog or digital sensor and cables use quick-disconnects made of metal,
conductive parts. Metal parts make analytical sensors susceptible to drift
caused by moisture and/or corrosion on the contacts. More often than not drift
is caused by noise from the connection rather than degradation of the sensor.
M4 Knick’s Memosens sensor connections use all molded plastic, inductive
components and therefore remove drift from the equation. These sensor/cable
connections are completely submersible. There is no drift caused by noise from
the connection. This saves technicians time and aggravation.
Off-line calibration inside the shop
The need
to calibrate or troubleshoot sensors seems to always happen at the most inconvenient
time. Rain, snowing, +100º heat at noon, or below freezing in the middle of the
night are all conditions that are less than ideal when sensor calibration and
troubleshooting becomes necessary.
Using
a Portavo – M4 Knick’s Memosens portable meter, sensor calibrations can be done
all at once inside the shop. The procedure can even be done in less than 2
minutes. A calibration performed in a controlled environment at a time
convenient to the technician will produce better results. Field calibrations are
subject to error due to
buffer temperature change, buffer contamination, and time.
Sensor diagnostics and
lifetime calculation
It is commonplace to see analytical
sensors thrown out regularly in shops across all industries. Many of these are
broken, some are experiencing trouble, and a great deal of these are actually
still working. Sensors that are still operational are thrown away so often due
to a lack of diagnostics.
Memosens technology has several methods for testing sensors.
Sensor health, diagnostics, and expected lifetime calculations are able to be
seen by connecting Memosens sensors to M4 Knick’s portable meters or fixed
transmitters. Confidence in the sensor can finally be experienced when a
technician can see a graphical representation of their sensor’s health.
The
status quo for process analytics is no longer acceptable. There is a better
way, and it’s called Memosens®.
